Mini-Reviews of Books Read, October 2011

   Mini-reviews of books I read last month.  This time, all three books are
   non-fiction: one on business, one ostensibly on running, and another on
   poetry.  All are recommended.


   1. "Good Business: Leadership, Flow, and the Making of Meaning"
      by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
     <http://www.amazon.com/Good-Business/dp/014200409X>

   This book describes how the concept of "Flow" can be applied to running
   businesses.  I reviewed the seminal book on the subject, "Flow: The
   Psychology of Optimal Experience", in August.  In general, the concepts
   that apply to the individual can be applied to business leaders and the
   people who work in the organisations they manage to create meaningful,
   satisfying and enriching work environments.

   Part 1 contains a review of the author's previous research into "flow".
   Since work makes up a large part of our lives, it's important that
   leaders and employees feel their work has meaning.  More engaged and
   fulfilled workers should help produce better products and services.
   Part 2 looks at why "flow" is missing at work and how to build it into
   the organisation.  Part 3 considers bigger picture concepts: the "soul"
   of business, creating flow in life, and the future of business.  The
   author argues that "flow" helps create good businesses.  Last month I
   read "Drive", which also discussed the importance of "flow" among
   employees as a way to promote engagement and help them achieve mastery.

   In addition to research findings, this book includes quotes from
   interviews with prominent business leaders who have successfully
   applied "flow" to their organisations.  It's a self-contained book, so
   there's no need to read the author's earlier work to fully understand
   the concepts.  A worthwhile read, not only for current or aspiring
   business leaders, but anyone interested in work with meaning.


   2. "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running" by Haruki Murakami
     <http://www.amazon.com/What-About-Running/dp/0307389839>

   This is a memoir of sorts by Haruki Murakami, whose novels I've enjoyed
   reading in the past couple of years.  Murakami is also an amateur
   marathon runner, and his career as a novelist parallels his distance
   running: the two activities go hand in hand in framing his life from
   his thirties onward.  He briefly describes his life before running,
   culminating in being owner/manager of a successful jazz night club.
   When he decided to become a professional writer, he overhauled his
   lifestyle completely.  This included selling his business, giving up
   smoking, and living healthier.

   He doesn't think much about writing when he's running, but rather on
   more immediate concerns like preparing for marathons and getting
   through the exhaustion and pain.  This does have relevance to writing,
   because that too requires perseverance.  Murakami's goal is to run one
   marathon per year, which he has been able to achieve until recently.
   With advancing age he finds it a struggle to beat his previous times,
   and so motivation drops.  To mix things up, he started doing triathlons,
   which required learning new skills and mastering new tactics.

   I enjoyed reading this book, presented as a series of diary entries and
   reflections between 2005 and 2007.  It provides insights into what makes
   Murakami tick.  Sprinkled throughout are bits of advice for budding
   writers too, not just runners.  Some parts are even inspirational.


   3. "This Craft of Verse" by Jorge Luis Borges
     <http://www.amazon.com/Craft-Verse/dp/0674008200>

   This book comprises the text of series of lectures presented by a
   renowned Argentinian author of short stories.  When Borges was in his
   late sixties he was invited to give a series of lectures at Harvard.
   In six lectures he discusses the "riddle of poetry", the use of
   metaphors and story telling.

   His style is humble, almost self-deprecatory.  He draws on examples from
   many works in various languages, not just his native Spanish, but also
   English (his maternal grandparents were originally from England),
   Ancient Greek and Old English.  I found the lecture on metaphors
   particularly interesting.  Words evolve in meaning over time, so that in
   many cases words originated as metaphors.  For example: "threat" is Old
   English for an "angry mob".  Another lecture I found particularly
   interesting was on the often controversial topic of translation.  For
   example, should translations be strictly literal, or should the
   translator be allowed more freedom when choosing words to convey the
   underlying poetry or meaning of the text?

   This book also acts as a general introduction to literature, albeit
   with an emphasis on poetry.  It also provides glimpses into Borges,
   particularly the last lecture where he discusses his "poet's creed".
   For example, he reveals why he wrote only short stories and not novels:
   firstly, he was lazy, and secondly (more likely) he felt it best to be
   economical with words.  Writing long novels would require padding out
   with content that could clutter the story.  He also used to attribute
   his own attempts at verse to made-up authors, and included these in
   his short stories.

   Overall, I found this book provided great insight into both the "craft
   of verse" and Borges the writer.  You can listen to audio recording of
   the lectures online, at:
     <http://ubu.com/sound/borges.html>